Four dead in Ukraine after 12-hour Russian attack

May 26 ------ Russia hammered targets across Ukraine for 12 hours, launching nearly 700 drones and missiles in what Ukrainian officials are calling one of the largest attacks of the war so far. The attacks left four dead and at least 100 wounded, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the capital city of Kyiv alone, over 30 residential buildings had been destroyed, he said. The casualty list is expected to grow as Ukrainian rescue workers continue to search through the rubble.

Among the barrage was a new hypersonic ballistic missile, the Oreshnik. The Oreshnik has only been used by Russia twice before last night’s attack, according to local Ukrainian outlet The Kyiv Independent. The missile is capable of carrying up to six individual warheads, causing far greater damage than many other missiles. Each warhead can be independently targeted to strike a different object and contain between four and six pieces of ordnance. Its hypersonic capabilities make it difficult to stop for Ukrainian air defense systems, according to The Kyiv Independent.

What has the damage been? Russia is shifting its methods, according to local Ukrainian news outlet Kyiv Post. The outlet pointed out that Russia is increasingly targeting Ukraine’s memory, identity, and cultural heritage, not just its cities. The National Art Museum of Ukraine was one of the targeted buildings, and is one of the country’s oldest museums, housing tens of thousands of pieces of art. The National Chornobyl Museum was also targeted, losing nearly 40% of its collections, according to Kyiv Post. Also reportedly hit were the Kyiv Opera Theater, the Ukrainian House, the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium, multiple government buildings, shopping centers, a water supply facility, a market, several schools, and emergency services buildings, among others.

In a speech, Zelensky characterized the attacks as unhinged, and said there must consequences for the Russian government. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and local outlet Suspilne News said that in addition to Kyiv, the regions of Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Kropyvnytskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, and Zhytomyr have come under attack.

What has the response been? Other countries around the world have spoken up on Ukraine’s behalf since the attack. The EU High Representative of Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said that the attack was an abhorrent scare tactic designed to kill as many civilians as possible. She also referred to it as reckless nuclear-brinkmanship, denouncing Russia for the use of the Oreshnik missile.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also spoke out against the attacks on social media. Macron condemned both it and the Oreshnik missile, and Merz reiterated Germany’s position standing with Ukraine. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper promised to continue pressuring Russia.

Source: wng.org